Haldwani, Dec. 16 -- The first phase of the tiger census under the All India Tiger Estimation-2026 began on Monday in the state's western forest circle, including the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), forest officials said. Western forest circle conservator of forests and CTR director Saket Badola said the census commenced on December 15 with the launch of Phase I, which involves an extensive field survey. "Forest personnel have been specially trained for this exercise. The tiger census will not only estimate the tiger population but will also provide a scientific assessment of the overall health of the ecosystem," he said. Officials said the All India Tiger Estimation is carried out using a globally recognised scientific methodology with a uniform framework applied across the country and globally. The exercise is conducted in four phases, of which the first phase focuses on ground-level field surveys. "For Phase I, forest guards and rangers have been trained to identify tiger pugmarks, scat, scratch marks, prey remains and habitat indicators, along with methods for accurate and standardised data collection," Badola said. He added that the tiger census has been made completely digital and paperless this time. "The M-Stripes Ecological app will be used for mobile-based data collection. It allows GPS-based tracking, location tagging and real-time data entry. Field staff have been trained extensively to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data collected through this system," he said. According to the 2022 tiger census, Corbett Tiger Reserve is home to 260 tigers, making it one of the highest-density tiger habitats in the country. In addition, 229 tigers were recorded outside the reserve in the larger Corbett landscape. Wildlife experts point out that the number of tigers outside Corbett is higher than the total population in some major tiger reserves such as Bandhavgarh (135) and Kanha (105). According to experts, the increasing tiger population in and around Corbett has led to compression of individual territories, resulting in territorial disputes and increased human-tiger interactions. The 2022 census report noted that CTR has "one of the highest density tiger populations in the world and acts as a source population in the larger landscape". The report also recommended measures such as radio-collaring of tigers to better understand the movement of these territorial animals at high densities and to create an early warning system for villages located around the reserve to reduce conflict. Forest officials said the findings of the ongoing census will play a crucial role in future conservation planning in the Corbett landscape and across the state....